Kirkus:
“A monster tale brimming with frights, suspense, and gore…”
September 17th, 2020:
“In this debut thriller/horror novel, a massive creature with a seemingly insatiable hunger terrorizes citizens in a small Canadian town.
Christine Moon, the new conservation officer in Lawless, British Columbia, has an unusual case of roadkill. Someone apparently hit a raccoon, but the amount of remains on the highway suggests an animal considerably larger. Around the same time, Austin Murphy, the head of road and highway maintenance, and his assistant, Trip Williams, stumble on a campsite showing signs of a bloody massacre. They find a delirious survivor who’s unquestionably scared of something catching him. After Christine and Austin team up to investigate, they decide that whatever attacked the campers was, based on its tracks, a colossal beast. Unfortunately, Lawless’ police chief dismisses their advice to warn the public of an “unknown predator” in the area. Meanwhile, powerful individuals are eying a local cavern, which houses a staggering mass of gold. Acquiring the valuables sparks double-crosses and worse. Since this cavern is in the vicinity of where the ferocious creature came from, there’s a good chance many more people will die. Christine, Austin, and Trip take it upon themselves to track down the beast and stop its murderous spree. Berry’s lengthy novel (over 500 pages) features numerous playful scenes, including ones that spotlight Trip’s unhealthy affinity for crullers. But the author still manages a steady narrative pace, courtesy of a plausible and succinctly detailed creature origin story and copious monster attacks. These are often substantially violent. The more effective scenes feature suspense, with the beast pursuing its prey or struggling to reach someone who’s cramped in a tiny hiding spot. Readers won’t have much sympathy for the victims; they’re callous men greedy for gold or barely known citizens who are merely creature fodder. Nevertheless, Christine, Austin, and Trip are appealing characters whose inevitable peril heightens the story’s intensity. A monster tale brimming with frights, suspense, and gore.”
Readers’ Favourite Review
March 14th, 2020. Reviewed By Teresa Syms.
“I applaud Katie Berry for her work. She is an incredible story-teller and I look forward to reading more…”
Katie Berry, the author of Claw, transports the reader into the heart of the Kootenays where the gold rush of 1895 took place. Deep in the heart of the Cascade Mountains of Western Canada during the gold rush days, no one was safe in the town of Lawless. The name of the town, Lawless, speaks for itself for back in 1895 gold was prevalent as was theft and violence. That was then but now in Lawless, although the gold rush is over, times for the area are difficult with the change in the climate. Christine Moon is the new British Columbia Conservation Officer brought in quickly after the mysterious disappearance of her predecessor. Christine along with Austin and Trip, the local road and games authorities, band together to stop a ravenous predator that seems to be at the heart of multiple deaths, disappearances, and violent attacks. As Christine, Austin, and Trip track the ancient creature, they uncover a devious plot of corruption at the highest level in Lawless.
Claw by Katie Berry is definitely a thrilling page-turner. Her use of very graphic description and imagery, while telling the story of carnage, corruption and everyday life in the small mountain town of Lawless, British Columbia, truly draws the reader into the book. Not only is Lawless shrouded by the deadly ice fog at night, but uncovering what is plaguing the town and devouring the inhabitants is left up to our heroine, Christine Moon, the new Conservation Authority Office, and her newfound friends, Austin, Trip, and Alex. With the knowledge and experience of the only survivor, Jerry Benson, the group sets out to locate and destroy the predator by any means. What they uncover while searching for the carnivorous beast is a story of corruption and murder that can bring the town of Lawless to its knees. Who will survive to tell the tale? I applaud Katie Berry for her work. She is an incredible story-teller and I look forward to reading more of her work.